As it heads into the fourth week of the season, Osborne is still on the road to take on Cambridge, and the Cardinals won’t see their home field until next week, when they host Creekview.

Osborne coach Xarvia Smith classified the scheduling as “just the luck of the draw,” but knows the schedule will be flipped next year as they get four home games to begin the season .

With their games all being between 20 and 30 miles away, Smith said the Cardinals have not been able to generate the school spirit at the road games that they would like.

“We are missing our fans,” he said.

But Smith added that not having the fans travel is not an excuse for his team’s performance and an 0-3 record.

“We have made so many mental mistakes,” Smith said. “We are not playing hard on special teams. We are not passing the ball well. We need to grow up as a team.”

Over three games, Osborne has scored only 14 points and has been outscored by an average of 23-4. The Cardinals also have not been effective on either side of the ball this season, and Osborne has found ways to defeat itself by missed assignments or either a penalty or turnover at the wrong time.

Traveling each week for a month has begun to wear on the players and the coaches, but Smith said these away games have not stunted his team’s growth.

“We need to play harder, he said. “We need to coach better”.

Today’s game against the Bears, a Region 7AAAAA crossover matchup, will be the Cardinals last away game until Oct 12.

Cambridge has played twice this season and is having many of the same problems as Osborne – sans all the travel. The Bears are being outscored by an average of 46-7.

This may provide an opportunity for running back Robert Cooks to get on track and have a big game.

Once Friday’s game is over, Smith will be anticipating his team’s first game at Cardinal Field.

“I just want to get a home game,” he said. “I want to see our fans come out and support us at home.”

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